Something More
by Nia Imani
Summary: Penelope Garcia has watched Derek Morgan date dozens of women. But, for the first time in more than 5 years, Derek is seeing someone who actually might be a threat to Penelope becoming Mrs. Derek Morgan.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Woman, pump your breaks!"

Penelope Garcia slowly turned and watched Derek Morgan stand up from where he had been perched on the corner of one of the junior agent's desk. He stood up to his full height of six foot one, walked over to her and crossed his arms over his chest. He angled his head to the side so that his chocolate brown eyes caught the light in just the right way to make her heart skip a beat. She immediately lowered her own gaze because she knew that even if Derek wasn't an excellent profiler working for the FBI, he would still be able to easily read the tumultuous emotions that were tearing her up inside. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?"

His eyebrows shot upward. "Sir?"

"Sir," she repeated firmly. "Unless you would prefer Agent Morgan, in which case I can refer to you by that name instead—"

"That's enough. Come with me," Derek rasped, cutting her off and reaching out to grab her arm. He felt her immediately stiffen before trying to pull herself from his grasp, but his fingers only tightened as he led her past several curious eyes and up the stairs to the hallway where his new office was located. When they reached his door, he shoved it open and pushed Penelope inside. "Now, I want an explanation," he told her, his voice unusually deep because he was so angry.

The look on her face was equally indignant. "I would also like an explanation because I can't see that there is any reason that would necessitate you manhandling me and—"

"Manhandling?" he scoffed. "I remember a time not so long ago when me "manhandling" you certainly wouldn't have gotten any complaints. In fact, I believe it would have provoked exactly the opposite response. Isn't that right, Baby Girl?"

"Don't call me that!" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't want to hear him call her that. Not now. Not after what he did to cause her to feel this way.

He let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "Okay, Penelope. I don't know what's going on, but I know something's wrong. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone through such a tremendous amount of effort to avoid me for the last two and half weeks. Now spit it out."

Penelope had never been good at lying, especially where Derek was concerned. But she couldn't possibly tell him the real reason she was angry with him. The truth was much too revealing. Even she was still reeling from the gravity of it.

Aiming her gaze somewhere above his left shoulder, she said, "Under the circumstances, I think it would be best if we discontinued our highly flirtatious banter."

"What?"

"I think it would be more appropriate if, from now on, I address you a Sir or Agent Morgan and you address me as Garcia or even Penelope, if you wish. But no more with the pet names like Baby Girl or Doll Face or Princess or—"

"Mama?"

"No, definitely not Mama."

"Why?"

"Because it's too…" Intimate, she started to say, but bit her tongue just in time. "It's not professional. We're two co-workers. No, no. Actually, you're my boss now. So, we need to act like it." Feeling proud of herself for coming up with a practical explanation to hide her real emotions behind, she finally lifted her gaze to Derek's.

He stared back her, disbelief and confusion clouding his eyes. "I hardly think of myself as your boss. I'm only going to be the unit chief temporarily. Hotch is taking his position back right after we catch The Reaper."

"It doesn't matter. Things between us still have to change. A lot has happened lately to make us all stop and look at our lives to see where we're going. Now I think we're all starting to realize that, while we're out there working to save other people's lives, our own are passing us by. So now we're trying to build something for ourselves before it's too late."

"Penelope, what are you talking about?" Derek asked, stepping forward and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I don't understand."

"I know you don't, Derek. And it's okay because I really don't understand it either. The only thing I do know is that it will be better this way. The less time we spend with each other and the more professional we are when we do, the better this situation will be for everyone involved." With a sad smile, she pulled away from him and hurried out of his office.

He was left staring after her and shaking his head. "Everyone involved? Who's involved besides just you and me, Penelope?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Derek punched the edge of his office door, causing it to slam right into an unsuspecting Spencer Reid. The younger man let out a high-pitched cry, just barely throwing up his arm in time to block a blow that surely would have left a nasty bruise on his young, chiseled jaw.

"Ow! Morgan!" Spencer wailed, wincing as he tentatively touched his forearm. "If you didn't want me in here, all you had to do was ask me to go."

Derek grimaced as he looked at the pained expression on his friend's face. "Sorry, man. I didn't see you there." He ran a hand over his face, turned and went to drop his tired body down into his leather chair.

"Are you all right?" Reid asked, when he saw the brooding look on Derek's face. For a moment Derek didn't answer and Reid took that as a sign that it would be better to leave the other man alone. He took a step backwards.

"It's Penelope," Derek said suddenly.

"What about her?"

"She just told me that we need to stop spending so much time together and that, when we do, our relationship needs to be on a more professional level. I don't know where this all came from."

"Well, you are the Unit Chief—"

"Temporary Unit Chief," Derek corrected tautly.

Reid shrugged. "Even so. Temporary or not, technically you are now her boss."

Derek's jaw set stubbornly. "That doesn't mean that things have to change."

"But things always change. People change, relationships follow. That's just the way life goes." Reid took another step back when Derek's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Look, all I'm really saying is that just because a relationship evolves, it doesn't have to mean something bad. The only real bad thing is the fear the two of you might have of that change because it might keep you from something better. As it is right now, your relationship is strained because neither of you are comfortable with the possibility of upsetting the other by being completely open about your respective relationships. That's why it hurt Garcia when she found out that you went to see Tamara Barnes after solving her brother's case a few weeks ago. But now that Garcia knows and she's had time to come to terms with your relationship with Ms. Barnes, she's reevaluated your relationship and making the necessary changes so that she can handle it. It's really all very simple when you take the time to think about it. It's not even about dissecting her usual behavior and analyzing it to—"

"Hold up," Derek interrupted, sitting upright in his chair now. His eyes narrowed intently on Reid's face. "Go back to what you said a minute ago about me and Tamara."

"About your relationship?"

"About Garcia thinking I'm in a relationship."

"Well aren't you? You can't deny the underlying attraction between the two of you. That is the reason she felt drawn to come to you every time she needed answers about her brother's case. It's also why you felt compelled to drive her home that day and then go back to her house to personally deliver the news that her brother's killers were in custody. It's also why you invited her out for a drink the other night."

"How did you know about that?"

Reid shrugged carelessly. "The whole team knows. Let's face it Morgan, you've never exactly been discreet when it comes to your conquests."

"Tamara's not a conquest!" Derek snapped.

"Exactly."

Before Derek could question what Reid meant by that comment, Reid had already opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. With raised eyebrows, Derek watched the source of his inner turmoil breeze past Reid, just barely missing assaulting him with her over-sized, tropical-colored purse on her way by. It was a good thing Reid was still so skinny, Derek thought idly, as he rose from his chair so he could stride down the hall after Penelope. On his way out, he gave a still-shaken Reid a brief pat on the shoulder, before he broke out into a trot towards the elevators.

When Penelope stepped into the elevators and turned around, her eyes locked with Derek's. He watched her mouth open in surprise, as she watched him hurry towards her. Then, he saw her close her mouth, set her jaw and glare at him as she jammed her finger several times into a button to make the elevator doors start closing. He increased his speed, but still didn't make it before the doors slid shut. His palm flattened against the wall, as the elevator swept away his Penelope, the sound of her voice trailing after her that she wanted him to "Leave her alone!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When the elevator doors slid shut, it was all Penelope could do to keep her shaky knees from letting her wilt right down to the floor. She stepped back, gripped the railing so tightly that her knuckles turned white and then she closed her eyes. Still that didn't keep her from feeling the wetness on her cheeks. There was just no way for her to keep the overwhelming sadness at bay as she felt her heart break into millions and millions of tiny pieces.

Derek was now dating Tamara Barnes. Why it should hurt so much to know that, Penelope didn't know. It certainly wasn't like she hadn't heard about or even seen Derek with lots of other women before. But, for some reason, this time it was different.

Even before Penelope had met Tamara, she could tell there was something about the other woman just by listening to Derek talk about her. In his voice, she could hear the usual concern when it came to dealing with a victim's family, but she also heard tones of admiration and appreciation. It left Penelope with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

And it only got ten times worse a few days later when she was walking down the hall and she saw Derek standing in the middle of the bullpen introducing Tamara to the rest of the team. Quietly moving to get a closer look, but trying to remain undetected, Penelope peered over the railing. As stupid and illogical as it seemed to her now, Penelope knew she shouldn't have been so shocked when she found out just how beautiful Tamara Barnes was. Derek Morgan was the one and only sculpted God that had somehow mistakenly ended up living among ordinary mortals. Of course the person he would be attracted to would have to be significantly above average when it came to looks. And Tamara was with her tall and slender body, her strikingly beautiful looks. Not to mention that self-assured air she had about her that demanded attention and respect of all of those around her. No wonder, when she possessed those traits and still showed her vulnerabilities, she created what was apparently the equivalent of a love potion for men. And Derek whose protective instinct seemed to suddenly materialize every time Tamara was near was no exception.

Penelope bit her lip to stop it from trembling, as she fumbled inside of her purse to reach for a handful of tissues. Even now, after several days had passed, she could still feel the pain she felt when she had realized she was looking at the woman who was finally going to take away her dream of becoming Mrs. Derek Morgan.

As far as dreams went, Penelope would be the first to admit that hers was as far from realistic as anyone could get. There was no way that a man like Derek Morgan could fall for the audacious, eccentric and quirky woman that was Penelope Garcia.

It was surprising enough in the beginning that Derek had even noticed her. Not that every single day she didn't make it her life's goal to dress in a way that would be sure to capture anyone's attention who was in a six mile radius. But still Penelope couldn't help but be stunned that first day she met Derek and he had called her "Baby Girl". That was the start of what had turned into their ongoing flirtatious banter that was filled with pet names and suggestive or sometimes outright dirty remarks between the two of them. She loved every single minute of it. She was always waiting for the times when she would pass Derek in the hallways or, when he was out of town, for him to call her on the phone. Coming up with new and exciting ways to proposition Derek had become her obsession and she was more addicted to her Hot Stuff than a druggie was addicted to cocaine.

Penelope's lips twisted wryly as she thought about her own analogy and how, if it was true, that it was going to be incredibly difficult and painful coming down off of her Derek high. It would be nice if she had something that would help soften the blow or at least distract her from her agony.

Well, there was always Kevin, but…Ugh! Who was she kidding? He was only a distraction for as long as his newness had lasted. And, since he was in so many ways just like herself, that hadn't been for very long!

No, Kevin was nothing but a very poor substitute and she had used him for as long as she could to try and ease her loneliness. That was why she was now keeping Kevin at arm's length and why she was using work as an excuse as to why she was so tired and didn't have the energy to sleep with Kevin anymore. Really, she was just tired of the disappointment she felt each time she was with Kevin and her needs weren't met.

As far as Kevin's skills in bed were concerned, he was only getting about an average rating. Penelope hated herself for it because she wasn't normally that type of person, but she couldn't keep herself from thinking of Derek and making a comparison. Of course it wasn't fair, especially since she had never been with Derek to contrast the two, but instinctively she already knew that Derek would be an incredibly skilled lover and the last thing she would be with him was left wanting. And not just in a physical capacity, but also a mental and emotional one too.

Derek was the ultimate stimulator for her. He was the one who gave her life purpose. How was she going to survive without him?

Her eyes were still closed when she heard the bell ding and the elevator come to a stop. Quickly, she wiped away the smudges of mascara from under her eyes with her tissue just in case she happened to see someone on her way to her car. She didn't want anyone to know that she had been crying. At this point, she knew if someone asked, she wouldn't be able to hold back her emotions and would just end up bawling in the middle of the parking garage. And that was definitely something she was bound and determined to avoid, if she could.

Drawing in a deep breath, she pulled herself up to her full height and opened her eyes. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat and her heart stop beating all at once. Standing there with her eyes as big as saucers, she just continued to stare ahead of her, unable to do or say anything.

"Breathe, Penelope," Derek said, moving forward and grasping Penelope's arms to give her a gentle shake. "I don't need you passing out here in the elevator."

"How did you…You were upstairs when…"

"I took the stairs."

"Why did you come after me? I told you to leave me alone." She tried to sound angry, but there was a breathlessness to her voice that gave her away. She did, however, find the strength to pull away from him and squeeze past him into the parking lot. She started walking, hoping that she had parked in the general direction of where she was going because right now her brain was too muddled to stop and figure anything out otherwise. She felt rather than heard Derek walking next to her. "Unless you need to speak to me about something that has to do with work, I suggest you let me continue on my way. Otherwise, Mr. Morgan, you—Oh!"

Before she even knew what was happening, she found her back pinned up against one of the cars in the parking lot with Derek's body looming above hers. He had an arm on each side of her, blocking any attempts at escape. And he had lowered his face so that he was so close she could actually feel his breath against her cheeks.

"Mr. Morgan, huh?" he growled, his eyes narrowing into angry slits. "I know what you're trying to do, _Ms. Garcia_," he taunted. "But, guess what? It's not going to work. You're not going to become all formal with me, push me away and then discard our friendship. I won't let you do it, damn it! I won't!"

"Well, we can't go on like this!" Penelope shouted, her eyes now blazing.

"No, we can't, can we?" Derek asked, his voice dropping to a timbre that made Penelope shiver all the way down to her toes. Derek saw the reaction she had to him and a slow smile spread across his face. At the same time, his head lowered as his sole focus became Penelope's beautiful, red-painted lips. So many nights he had stayed awake, tossing and turning, with a need to know what it would be like to feel Penelope's mouth under his. He longed to know what she tasted like, dreamed of the sound of her moaning as he let his tongue delve deep into the warm cavern of the mouth that had whispered so many sinful promises to him. There were some things in this world that you just knew, could feel with an utmost certainty down to your very soul. And that there would be absolutely no disappointments when it came to making love with Penelope, Derek was as sure of that as he was that the sky was blue.

At this proximity his nose was full of the intoxicating smell of her. The flowery scent of her perfume. The fruity fragrance of her hair. The fabulous aroma that was the natural sweetness of her skin. Oh, she was driving him insane with desire.

His body was already aroused. It was a condition he had become resigned to dealing with every time he was with Penelope. There was no getting around it. She always did this to him. Sometimes all he had to do was just hear the sound of her voice and he would be in an instant state of discomfort inside of his pants.

It was only because he was barely able to find the restraint to keep his body bent rigidly away from Penelope that she didn't come to the stark realization of the state he was currently in. Part of his brain taunted him with the idea of shifting his hips forward just so he could delight in the look of shock he knew he would see on Penelope's face. But the other part, the sensible part, knew that those few seconds of satisfaction wouldn't be worth the risk of possibly scaring her away. Because somehow he knew that, even though for years Penelope had engaged him in provocative banter and shamelessly flirted with him about her ways of seduction, if Derek actually tried to take her up on her offer, she would shut him down.

It was what she was doing now. He could see it as he gazed down at her. That look—the same one that had been clouding her beautiful brown eyes almost since the very first day he had met her. She was afraid of him, scared that he was going to hurt her. Maybe she had convinced herself that he would love her and then reject her. Toying with her emotions was not something he would ever even consider, but because she had seen the way he was with other women, he knew he couldn't blame her for keeping her guard up. There was no way for her to know that the only reason he had so easily discarded those other women from his life was because they all paled in comparison to her.

He was in love with Penelope. He wanted to tell her and show her and shout it to the world that his heart belonged to her and only her. But until he could gain her trust so that she would believe him when he told her, he would have to keep his feelings buried deep inside himself.

With a shaky breath, he gathered every ounce of willpower that he had and used it to make himself move away from Penelope. Once he was standing up again, his head was still slightly foggy, but he was slowly gathering his senses again now that he had put a little distance between himself and alluringness of Penelope's body.

"We should go," he told her, reaching into his pocket to pull out his keys.

"Yes," she said huskily. She pushed away from the car, ran a nervous hand through her hair and started to walk away. "Good night, Morgan."

"Not so fast," Derek said, catching her arm again. He nodded his head to the side and only then did she realize that the vehicle Derek had pinned her against was his own SUV. "You're coming with me."

"What?"

"We'll go get a drink."

She shook her head. "No. I need to go home."

He set his jaw stubbornly. "We're not going home until we talk this thing through. I told you that I'm not going to let you push me away. You're the most important person in my life, Penelope, and I won't let you go without a fight."

The way he was looking at her, with eyes that were almost desperate with fear made her determination not to go with him start to falter. "Don't you have somewhere you need to be? Don't you have a date with—" Penelope couldn't make herself say the other woman's name. "Don't you have a date?"

"The only date I have, Baby Girl, is with you."

Her heart did a complete somersault inside her chest and she couldn't hold back the smile that brightened her whole face. "Okay. If you're sure?"

"I'm positive." He slid his arm around her back and gently guided her to the passenger side of his SUV. After he opened the door, he helped her up inside. Then, he went around to the driver's side, opened the door and climbed in next to her. "Tonight, I'm going to treat you like a princess, Princess," he told her, throwing a breathtaking smile in her direction before he started up the vehicle and drove them out into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Apparently, Derek really meant it when he said he was going to treat Penelope like a princess because he ended up taking her to a very nice restaurant on the outskirts of town and then tipped the waiter enough to get them one of the nicest tables in the house. Once they were seated, Derek ordered one of Penelope's favorite red wines and also a sampler appetizer that included several foods he knew Penelope would really like.

Once the waiter had disappeared, he turned and grinned into Penelope's startled eyes. "What?"

"Don't you think you're going a little overboard, Derek? I mean, don't get me wrong. I appreciate it and all. It's just that—it just seems like you're spending an awful lot of money."

"You're worth it." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Well, yes, I am, Cupcake. I can't argue with you there."

The waiter returned and poured wine into both of their glasses. Penelope raised hers to her lips and relished the cool taste against her tongue. "Oh, that's so good."

Derek's eyes were fastened on Penelope's mouth, watching as her small pink tongue came out and licked the remnants of wine off her lips. Without meaning to, he made a deep sound in his throat.

Penelope frowned at him. "Honey, aren't you going to drink your wine? It's delicious. One of my favorites."

"I know."

She leaned closer to him and titled her head. "I don't know how you knew that. I never told you."

"I know a lot of things about you that you don't realize."

"How?" Her eyes narrowed suddenly. "Were you profiling me?"

"Not in the way you're thinking. The things I know about you are things anyone who has spent a lot of time with you would know."

Her frown deepened, as she thought about Kevin and how, even though they had been dating for nearly two years, he still didn't know anything about her. "I'm not that easy to read."

"You are to me," he said, his eyes locking with hers so intensely that her breath caught in her throat.

Penelope slowly put her glass back down onto the table. "Then how come it took you two and a half weeks for you to realize that I was avoiding you?"

"Okay, I amend that statement. You're easy for me to read when I'm paying attention." He grimaced. "I guess I haven't been lately."

"You have been pretty distracted," she said quietly. And she looked away from him, the pain overwhelming her again, as she thought about the reason, the woman, who had been distracting him.

"Lately it seems we've been working a lot of tough cases. Back to back too. I think it's starting to get to me a little bit."

She heard him sigh and lifted her head again. This time, when she stared at him, she noticed how drawn and tired he looked. "Not to say that you are any less handsome than usual, Honey, but I do have to admit that you look exhausted. Is someone keeping you up at night?" She hadn't meant for those last words to slip out and she gasped in mortification.

He leaned forward, putting his face so close to hers that she could smell the scent of the wine on his breath. "Well, you're looking particularly rested lately, Baby Girl. Is someone not keeping you up at night?"

Fortunately, at that moment, the waiter reappeared to take their order, saving Penelope from the embarrassment of actually having to answer Derek's question. She couldn't believe that they were actually having this conversation. They never spoke about their personal lives, at least not when it came to each of their significant others. Somehow, they had just come to an understanding that that was off limits for discussion. But, if Derek had his way, this was a night about breaking a lot of their unspoken rules.

After giving her order to the waiter, Penelope reached for the bottle and refilled her wineglass. If ever there was a time she needed a drink, this was it. Her only regret was that she didn't have something stronger!

While she was replacing the bottle of wine back into the bucket of ice, she could feel Derek's gaze on her, but she just kept ignoring him. Instead, she let her eyes wander over the other restaurant patrons who were enjoying light-hearted conversations with their dinner companions.

The minutes ticked by and the tension only grew as Derek continued to scowl at her. Finally, she guessed he couldn't take it anymore because he reached out his hand, put it under her chin and forced her to look at him. "A salad? That's all you're going to order? I thought you'd get the Shrimp Fettuccine. That's why I brought you here – because I know it's your favorite."

"Aww! Well, thanks, Sweetie, but I'm actually trying to cut back," she told him, patting his hand affectionately.

"Since when? And why?" His frown deepened suddenly. "Baby, you're not on a diet because you think you're fat, are you?"

She smiled and lifted her glass to her lips. "I didn't say anything about a diet. I just said that I was cutting back, that's all. But, anyway, I was thinking that it certainly wouldn't hurt me any if I lost a few pounds."

But it would certainly hurt him, damn it! He ground his teeth together in frustration, as he fought to hold onto what little control he had left. He loved Penelope's body. She had the most beautiful curves of any woman he had ever met. That was why, every time he laid eyes on her, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sway of her hips and hypnotized by the amazingness of her ass. Her oh so sweet derriere was every man's dream.

Suddenly, he was scowling furiously, as a thought occurred to him. "Did Kevin put you up to this?" he asked, his voice low and frightening.

She looked startled. "Kevin?"

"Yeah. Did he tell you that you need to lose weight? Because, if he did, I'll pound shit out of the bastard and—"

"Derek!"

The fear in her voice brought him back to his senses. He touched Penelope's hand, smoothing his fingers over hers. "Sorry. It's just that, Penelope, you're so beautiful the way you are. Don't you know that? Why would you want to change?"

Because I want to be someone you could be attracted to, she wanted to say, but didn't. Instead, she just smiled. "You're very sweet to me, Derek. You always have been."

His eyes narrowed on her face. "I'm not being sweet or nice. I'm telling you the truth!"

"Well." She shrugged and pulled her hand out from under his, before she downed what was left in her glass and gave herself another refill.

Derek wanted to continue their conversation and ask her why she was thinking about making all of these sudden changes, but of course the waiter again had the worse timing on earth and chose that time to bring their entrees. As he removed his silverware from his napkin, he watched Penelope tuck into her salad with just a touch too much enthusiasm.

"This looks delicious, doesn't it, Derek?"

He eyed her bowl of salad skeptically, before he spun a forkful of pasta off of his own plate and lifted it to his mouth. He knew that, even though Penelope was trying not to, she was looking longingly at the Shrimp Fettuccine he had ordered. "Oh, that is so good!" he murmured, smiling as the creamy sauce melted in his mouth. "I'm really sorry that you didn't order some. I know you would have loved it."

"Don't be silly. My salad's excellent," Penelope said, taking her fork and stabbing at another piece of lettuce with barely concealed hostility. The smell of the fettuccine sauce was drifting right into her nose and causing her mouth to water so much that she couldn't even taste the cherry tomato that was clenched between her teeth. Damn Derek for using her favorite food to torture her in this way! And damn her for her stupid pride that was letting him do it!

As fun as the first few minutes had been of watching Penelope covet his dinner, he eventually found himself regretting making her suffer. It was stupid, really, especially since he was the one who didn't want her eating the damn salad in the first place. Well, it was about time that they both stopped being so stubborn.

He artfully twirled his fettuccine onto his fork, cupped his hand beneath it so nothing would spill and leaned towards Penelope's lips. "Open up," he murmured coaxingly.

She snapped her mouth shut and glared at him. "Um-mm."

"Penelope," he whispered softly. He bent closer, lowering his head next to hers and his mouth brushed against her ear. "You know you want to."

His lips grazed over her cheek this time and she shivered. "No," she protested weakly.

"Yes." He gently kissed her temple. "You don't have to worry about eating this and then gaining weight. I know something we can do after dinner to burn off a lot of calories."

She stopped breathing. "You do?"

"Uh-huh." He let his lips trail across her skin until they hovered just above her mouth. "But, first, you have to eat. You have to eat every single bite of your dinner."

Her mouth pulled up into one of her wicked smiles and her eyes sparkled with delight. "All right, Baby Cakes. But just know that, if I eat all of my dinner, you're fully obligated to give me my dessert. And I do not take rain checks."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"This is what you meant when you said you had something we could do to burn off calories?" Penelope was so dismayed that she couldn't even hide the disappointment in her voice.

Derek looked down at her with a frown. "Yeah. What did you think we were going to do?"

"Nothing."

Derek watched Penelope's eyes scan over the crowded dance floor at the bar he took her to every time they needed to let loose and have a good time. Usually, Penelope was thrilled whenever Derek brought her here because it was the only time the two of them completely forgot about work and the boundaries their jobs imposed on their relationship and just let the magnetic forces draw their bodies together. But tonight she looked as if this was the last place on earth she wanted to be.

If it wouldn't have given his feelings away, Derek would have told Penelope that bringing her to this bar wasn't his first choice either. He really wanted to take her back to his apartment, carry her into his bedroom, strip her of every piece of her sexy clothing and have his way with her.

But, right now, that wasn't an option. If he slept with Penelope, he would be taking the risk that in the morning she would wake up thinking she was just another one of his one-night stands. She wouldn't believe him if he tried to tell her that, for him, it was more than just a random night of sex. That it meant something – everything – to him and that, for the first time ever, he was truly making love because she was the woman he was in love with.

He slid his arm around her waist and drew her close to him. "Which do you want to do first? Get a drink or hit the dance floor?"

She looked up at him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'll let you pick."

"Okay. Why don't we dance and show all of these other people how it's done?"

He led her onto the dance floor just as a sexy R&B beat began to pump through the room. When they were in the middle of the crowd, he eased Penelope in front of him and then started to move to the music. At first, Penelope seemed hesitant to follow suit, but when Derek wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her along with him, she was quickly swept up in the moment.

The way the two of them moved together, their bodies so in tune with the music and even more n'sync with each other, it was quite apparent that there was passion growing on the dance floor. Every swing and sway of Penelope's hips seemed to ignite an answering thrust in Derek's and they were slowly sparking an intense heat that was just about to burst into flame.

Penelope reached her arms up above her head, curved her hands around Derek's neck and brought his head closer to hers. She heard him groan as she twisted her hips again and came into intimate contact with his body.

"Baby Girl," he whispered.

"You like that, Hot Stuff?"

"Oh, yeah!"

She moved back and was just about to repeat the action, only with agonizingly arousing slowness, when the sound of a voice intruded into the moment. Penelope opened her eyes and found a young, tall and attractive woman standing next to them, her eyes glued on Derek.

"Mind if I cut in?" she asked, already moving her, skinny, barely clothed body and squeezing it in between Penelope and Derek.

The other woman's easy dismissal of her was like a cold slap in the face. "Yeah, sure. Don't mind me. I'll just go," she mumbled, turning and pushing her way through the crowd so she could get to the bar. She suddenly needed a drink and she needed one now!

"One Cherry Hooker, please?" she asked the bartender, sliding onto one of the barstools. "And hurry!"

In less than a minute, the drink was in Penelope's hand and, a second later, half of it was down her throat. She was just throwing back the other half, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Penelope, why did you run off like that?"

She turned to glare up at Derek, before raising her hand to signal for a refill. "Oh! You seemed so entranced by Miss Thing over there, I'm surprised you even noticed I was gone."

He looked impatient. "Of course I noticed. I didn't want to dance with that girl."

"Why not? She's your usual type. She's beautiful and tall and so anorexically-thin she could probably wear a dress that was cut out of napkin."

"That's not my type," he said, frowning.

"It is. Believe me, it is." She picked up her freshly filled glass and raised it to her mouth.

But before her beverage could reach her lips, Derek was removing the glass from her fingers. "Don't you think maybe you should go easy on that."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "This may come as a shock to you, Derek, but unlike your girlfriends, I actually have the bodyweight to sustain more than a few glasses of alcohol before I'm completely tooted."

"What does bodyweight have to do with anything? And, anyway, all I'm saying is that maybe you should slow down a little."

"Slow down," she repeated. "All right. I'll slow down," she told him, standing up and tossing a twenty dollar bill on the bar. "I'm ready to call it a night. Take me home."

She spun around and headed for the exit without even bothering to stop to see if Derek was following her. Pushing the door open, she stepped out into the cold night air. It felt good against her flushed cheeks, but it did nothing to cool the anger that was boiling deep down inside of her.

Why did her perfect evening have to be ruined by some sexy little tart who had to swoop in and steal her man? Not that Derek was hers, but still…it wasn't like the girl knew that. Or didn't she? Even though Penelope was dancing with Derek, she guessed to any onlookers, she didn't exactly look like the type who could maintain his undivided attention. And, apparently, that was true since it had only taken a matter of seconds for the girl to prove that the theory was correct.

Looking both ways, Penelope crossed the street and went over to stand next to the SUV while she waited for Derek to make an appearance. It was too bad that she didn't have the keys. If she did, she would have jumped into the truck, sped off and left Derek there. The thought of Derek angrily yelling at her for leaving him made her smile. Then, the thought occurred to her that, if she did that, he'd probably end up getting a ride from Miss String Bean or another one of her friends and she let out a sound that was similar to a growl.

"Mm. That's sexy."

Penelope's breath caught in her throat at the sound of Derek's voice. Somehow without her realizing it, he had walked up behind her. So close, in fact, that her nostrils were suddenly only able to draw in the smell of his spicy cologne and the warmth from his overwhelming sexy body was beginning to envelope her. It was all she could do to stifle a moan when she felt his arm come around her. Her pleasure, however, quickly turned into frustration when she realized that he wasn't reaching for her, but rather the passenger door so he could open it for her. "I can open my own door," she snapped, pushing him out of the way, so she could climb into the vehicle.

"Not on my watch," he snapped back, grabbing her hand and helping her anyway. "Now will you zip it!"

Before she could say anything else, he slammed the door shut and strode around the SUV to climb into the driver's seat. He started the vehicle, pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the road.

They drove for several minutes in silence. Every once in a while, Derek would glance over at Penelope, but she was steadfastly avoiding him. Finally, he couldn't take it any more and he attempted to pull her back out of her shell.

"So, when did you start making those sexy little purring noises?"

She remained silent, her arms folded and her head turned pointedly towards the passenger-side window.

"Penelope. Damn it, woman. Are you going to answer me?"

Her head swung around then, her eyes accusing. "You're the one who told me to zip it." She watched him open his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then he closed it again and just shook his head. Her jaw fell in shock. He was giving up? Just like that. No snappy reply. No witty comeback. He was just going to let her have her say and then let their discussion end. Well, she wasn't having it. She wasn't going to let him get off that easy. "It wasn't a sexy little purring noise, Derek."

It took a few seconds, but he finally took the bait. "It wasn't?" he asked slowly.

"No. It's more like a growl."

He made a deep sound in his throat that was in between a laugh and groan. "Growl, huh? That's even better."

Yes. Now, she had him just where she wanted him and her smile widened. "It's something I just started doing. Kevin really seems to like it."

A reaction was what she was hoping for and she more than got it. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Derek jerked the wheel so hard, that they swerved off the road. Fortunately, Derek was a very skilled driver and, a split second later, he had corrected the SUV, putting them safely back on the road. But the near-accident shook Penelope enough that she decided that it would be better not to further distract Derek while he was driving.

Now refocused on watching the scenery, Penelope then noticed that they weren't headed in the direction of the BAU. In fact, they were headed in exactly the opposite direction and they appeared to have turned into one of the nicer neighborhoods on the outskirts of town.

Despite her promise to herself to be quiet, Penelope turned disturbed eyes back to Derek. "Why are we in a neighborhood? I thought we were going to the BAU."

Apparently, two could play the silent treatment game because now Derek was ignoring her. He turned down another street and they drove until they reached a cul-de-sac where a nice, two-story brick house sat nestled into the trees. Derek pulled into the driveway, stopped right in front of the garage and turned off the SUV.

He got out and Penelope had to scramble out too, so she could catch up to him as he strode up to the front door. "Derek, I thought you were going to take me back to the BAU."

"I'm not going back there tonight."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "But my car is there. I have to pick it up. How else am I supposed to get home?"

He shrugged. "You can stay here, if you want to."

"Stay here!" she shrieked. "I can't stay here!"

"Why not?" he challenged.

"Because I…I just…" She threw up her hands. "I just can't, that's all."

He turned away from her and kept walking. "Fine."

"Derek!" She jammed her hands on her hips and glared after him. "Well, if you won't take me home, I'm just going to have to call someone to come and get me."

"And just how do you plan on doing that, Baby Doll?"

"What do you mean? I have my cell phone."

"Do you?"

"Yes! It's in my purse. And my purse is right there in your car."

"So it is," he said, flashing her a smile that normally would have made her toes curl. But now, under these circumstances, that sweeter than sweet look on his face made her stomach drop. And rightfully so, she realized, when she saw him raise the car remote towards his SUV, press a button and activate the alarm. "Derek Anthony Morgan!" she gasped.

In dismay, she watched Derek walk into his house, the sound of his satisfied laughter trailing behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When Derek flipped on the lights to his house, Penelope expected to see the typical bachelor pad all decked out with the leather couches and leather chairs, glass-topped tables and black iron lamps. But instead of walking into a room that was cold and modern, she found herself surrounded by big, soft and comfortable-looking furniture that was tastefully accented by walls that were painted in warm earth-tones. It caught Penelope off-guard and Derek watched her, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Not what you were expecting, huh?" he asked, giving her a knowing smile.

"No." She shook her head. "No, it's not what I was expecting at all."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She looked at his face and was surprised to see that he actually seemed to be seeking her approval. "Well, Honey, from what I've seen so far, your apartment seems to be in good taste. I mean, it's not quite up to Penelope Garcia standards without the beaded curtains or a few hot pink throw pillows, but I do like it. I like it a lot."

"I'm glad," he said, and continued to stand there smiling at her.

For several seconds, Penelope stood helplessly mesmerized simply by the sheer beauty of him. She was drawn to him just like a moth to a flame. Even though she knew the fire was dangerous, even though she knew that if she got too close she could burn, she still couldn't make herself turn away. And that was why she had to do whatever she could to stop herself before she foolishly flew into the flames and let her heart perish.

"I need to go home," she told him, her tone suddenly cold.

He looked vaguely surprised by her swift mood change, but then he quickly recovered and took on a stance that said he was ready to battle it out with her. "Need to go? Or want to go?" he challenged.

Damn the man! He had her trapped because they both knew she was lying if she said she wanted to leave. For years she had dreamed, more like fantasized of the day Derek Morgan would take her home, carry her through the house until they reached his bedroom, throw her down on the bed and make breathtakingly passionate love to her…

"I'm not staying here," she repeated firmly. "If you won't take me home, I'll just call Kevin and have him come and get me. Now, where's your house phone? I'm sure you have one around here somewhere."

She started to turn away, but Derek caught her hand before she could even take a step. He pushed her backwards until she was pressed up against the wall. Then, he moved his body so close there was no space left in between them. "You will not—I repeat, will NOT—have that sorry excuse for a man coming here to my house. Do you understand me?"

"Derek—"

The rest of Penelope's words were smothered away as Derek's mouth crashed down onto hers. He took hold of her wrists, raised her hands above her head and pinned them to the wall, as he moved one of his legs and used it to push hers apart. At the same time, his mouth was plundering hers. His tongue was exploring the deep recesses of her mouth, while expertly coaxing tiny moaning responses from her throat. "Oh, Baby Girl," he groaned, dragging his lips away from her mouth, so he could bury his face into the sweet softness of her neck.

As soon as Penelope felt Derek's lips touch her there, she was lost. She had never told anyone that her favorite spot to be kissed was her neck, but someone Derek knew. With a sigh, she let her head fall to the side to give him better access to kiss along her throat.

"You like that." It was a statement, not a question. He knew her better than anyone, sometimes even better than she knew herself. "And you like this too," he said, trailing his mouth down the valley of her two voluptuous breasts. He let his tongue push the material of her low-cut dress and lacy bra aside until he was able to pull her nipple into the hot cavern of his mouth. He heard her gasp as he licked and suckled her breast almost desperately.

She tugged against him until he finally released her wrists from his grasp. Impatiently, she reached behind her for her zipper so she could remove the offending garment that was keeping Derek from giving her other breast the same attention. To her consternation, the zipper got stuck and so she started to just rip the dress down the front, but Derek stopped her.

"If anyone's going to rip your clothes off of you, it's going to me, Baby Girl," he murmured. "But not this dress. I like this one. Every time I see you wearing it, all I can think about is throwing you down and making love to you until you scream."

"I don't scream," she whispered.

He smiled softly, looking into her flushed face. "You will with me," he told her confidently, bending down to scoop her up before he strode towards his bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Put me down, Derek. I'm too heavy to be carried."

"Hush!" he commanded, stopping her protest with a hard and very passionate kiss. When he finally pulled away, he looked with satisfaction at her dazed eyes and slightly swollen lips. With seemingly no effort, he carried her over to his king-size bed and leaned over to gently place her in the middle of it. When he stood back up, he looked at her and smiled. "You're beautiful. Perfect. The personification of my every dream."

She stared up at him, looking for that usual teasing glint in his eyes, but she couldn't find it. He looked dead serious. That caused her to feel self-conscious and she started to cover herself with her hands.

"Penelope, your hands are blocking my view."

Her movements paused, but she still looked unsure.

"Damn that bastard for not making you feel like the amazing sexy goddess that you are," Derek growled. "Well, when I get through with you there won't be any doubt left in that pretty blonde head of yours."

He joined her on the bed, pressing his body into hers and forcing her to lie back against the pillows. He kissed her mouth, her cheeks, her neck, all while his hands moved to maneuver her out of her clothes. When she was left wearing only her hot pink undergarments, he paused to admire the beautiful picture she made lying before him on his bed.

"I've dreamed about this moment a thousand times and never once did my imagination come close to doing you justice. Baby Girl, you're even sexier than I believed a woman could be."

She watched him lower his head so he could nuzzle his face against her breasts. It almost brought tears to her eyes watching him touch her so tenderly, so reverently, like she was a precious treasure he so deeply adored.

No one had ever made her feel this way. No man had ever made her feel so special. She knew that Derek cared about her and she knew that he loved her as a friend. But watching him now and looking into his eyes where she could see an emotion so deep and powerful it took her breath away, she almost wondered if he felt something more for her.

It was on the tip of her tongue to come out and ask him right then to explain how he felt about her, but then she felt his hands come behind her and, a split second later, he had released the clasp of her bra.

"I don't even want to think about how you learned to do that so quickly," she mumbled, a little grumpily.

He grinned at her. "That's not important. What is important is the here and now and the future."

"The future?"

"Mm-hmm." He cupped her breasts, one in each of his palms. "Yes, Baby. It's going to be a great future."

Lifting one breast to his mouth, he slowly traced her rosy-pink nipple with the tip of his tongue. He continued this sweet torture for a number of minutes, before he finally drew her nipple into the hot cavern of his mouth. Gently, he scraped his teeth against her, then soothed her skin once again with his tongue. He could hear her breathing getting heavier and he smiled when he felt her spread her legs and wiggle beneath him so that he moved in between her thighs.

That put her in stark contact with his very aroused body and he briefly hesitated, waiting for what might be her startled reaction. He glanced up at her, but all he found was his dear sweet Penelope with her eyes closed and her head thrown back against the pillows, lost in the throes of passion.

In that moment, the most intense feeling of lust, mixed with an indescribable possession swept over him like a tidal wave. Desperately he wanted to take care of Penelope. He wanted to make her his. He wanted to _make love_ to her, so deeply, so thoroughly that afterwards there would be no way she could be with anyone else because she would know she belonged to him. He wanted her forever, as a friend, as a lover, as a wife, as the mother of his children. He wanted her to know that she was his soul mate and that he was madly in love with her.

"Derek?"

He blinked several times before he realized that he had stopped kissing her and was looking at her with an astounded look on his face. "Yeah, Baby."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Baby. I'm fine. No, I'm more than fine. I'm pretty damn good right now."

She frowned because she thought she felt a slight tremble go through his body. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Leaning up on his elbows, he raised himself so he could look down into her face. Without looking away from her eyes, he deftly began to remove the pins from her hair until her beautiful blonde locks were spread across his pillow case. "I love your hair."

"Do you?"

"Mm-hmm. And I love your eyes. You have such amazing eyes. And a cute little nose. And your lips...sensational."

She let her eyes wander down and giggled because she could see teasing little glimpses of his abs where his shirt gapped open between the buttons. "You're not so bad yourself, Handsome."

Raising himself up further, he smiled down at her, with a taunting glint in his eyes. "Oh, I'm bad. Now, why don't you unbutton my shirt, Kitten, and I'll show you just how bad I can be."

"Are you sure you want to tempt me, Tiger? You might not be able to handle me."

"I'll take my chances," he said, swiftly rolling over onto his back and carrying her with him so that she ended up straddling him.

With anyone else, being in this position would have made Penelope feel vulnerable, not to mention completely exposed. Even with Derek, she still felt a little self-conscious. But when she stared down at him and saw not only patience and affection, but also something that went even deeper, she found herself throwing away what was left of her inhibitions and allowing her own feelings to finally be revealed.

Slowly, she lowered her hands to Derek's chest and then smoothed her hand over his shirt. When her fingers reached the top button, she deftly opened it, followed by the next and the next and the next until she reached the part of Derek's shirt where it was tucked into his pants. She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she debated whether she should go ahead and unfasten his belt that was securing his black slacks to his sexy slim waist or if she should torture him by continuing to explore the part of his body that was now so delectably temping before her eyes. The latter option had Penelope sticking her tongue out and slowly licking her lips—something she only became aware of when she heard Derek groan.

"Baby, I've been looking forward to this moment for longer than I could probably make you believe and, because of that, I want more than anything for tonight to be special for you and for it to last for as long as possible. But, Sweetie, that's not gonna happen if you keep looking at me like that and doing that little thing with your tongue."

"You mean this little thing?" she asked, perfecting an innocent smile and leaning down to flick her tongue inside his belly button. And, much to her delight, she heard Derek groan again. "You like that, Cupcake? Hmm. You know, I really like it to. Did I ever tell you that chocolate is my favorite flavor?" She stuck out her tongue and let it slide up the middle of his stomach and to his chest. Once there, she stopped and slid her tongue back down to his belly button. She started to trace her tongue back up again, but then she felt Derek's hands move into her hair and hold her in place. "Too much for you already, Honey?"

"No," he murmured. "I want more."

"Your wish," she said, placing another kiss on his stomach, "is my command."

She reached for his belt, removed it and then tossed it to the floor. Then, she unfastened the button of his pants. When she got to his zipper, that was when she finally turned her full attention to the bulge that was straining—quite forcefully—against the material of his pants.

Her eyes widened. "Wow!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She shook her head quickly. "Absolutely nothing's wrong." In fact, everything is finally going to be so, so right, she told herself, as she smoothed her hand across his erection.

He made a sound deep in his throat. "Okay, I think maybe you should stop now," he suggested.

"But I just got started," she argued, closing her fingers around him and squeezing gently.

"Penelope!" He tried to remove her hand, but she was too quick. She had already lowered his zipper, pushed aside his boxers and had the object of her desire standing free and proud right before her enchanted eyes before he could do a thing to stop her. He couldn't move. He couldn't even breathe. All he could do was watch her and wait in silent agony.

She slowly, but steadily continued to rub her hand up and down his length. The whole time, she was unable to tear her eyes away, as she found herself mesmerized by the sheer potency of him. There was never a doubt in her mind that Derek was well-endowed. But maybe because of who she had to compare him with—most recently Kevin—it was almost startlingly obvious how endowed Kevin…wasn't.

A groan rose from Derek's lips as she continued to stroke him. It excited her to see how much he seemed to be enjoying the feel of her touch. Even more so when she saw him raising his hips so he could thrust himself into the cup of her hands.

"Baby Girl, your hands feel so good."

"Well, if you think that feels good, you're really going to like—"

She gasped when she felt herself suddenly flipped over and on her back again. Then, before she could react, Derek's mouth was on hers, his hands anxiously roving over her body. His fingers traced down her sides, over her ribcage and up under her back, where he hooked his fingertips underneath her silk panties and slowly started to draw them down. As he did so, he trailed his mouth over her breasts and down her stomach until he got to the place that longed for his touch the most. She held her breath as he hovered there, before he finally leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss right inside her thigh. She made a frustrated sound in her throat, but he only laughed, slid back up over her and kissed her mouth again.

In the minutes that followed, Derek quickly removed what was left of his own clothes. Then, he caressed and teased and aroused Penelope's body with his until she was writhing beneath him in a heated frenzy, begging for him to finally relieve her of the unbearably sweet ache that was throbbing between her legs.

"Please, Derek," she whispered, frantically pulling on his hips. "I need you now. I want you inside of me."

"And I want to be inside of you so much," he told her, cupping her face in his hands. "But, first, before we do this, I have to know."

"What?" she asked, trying hard to focus on the conversation instead of the sexual tension that was overwhelming her body.

"I need to know," he said, looking intently into her eyes, "if you want to be with Lynch."

"Kevin?"

"Yes," he rasped. "Do you want to be with him?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Do we have to talk about this now?"

"Yes," he said stubbornly. "Now answer the question. Do you want him?"

"No."

His body relaxed slightly, but his jaw remained tense. "So, does that mean you're not in love with him?"

To Penelope the answer seemed obvious. She certainly wouldn't be lying in a bed with Derek Morgan, naked and on the verge of what promised to be the world's most mind-blowing orgasm if she wanted to be with or was in love with Kevin. Why Derek couldn't see that and was delaying their love session was confusing to her, but if he strangely needed that reassurance, she sure as hell was going to give it to him.

"I don't love Kevin, Derek. I'm not now, nor will I ever be in love with him. He's just not the one for me." She leaned up and softly kissed his lips. "Now," she said, wiggling her eyebrows, "are we going to lay here and keep talking about my boyfriend or are you going to make him a distant memory?"

Derek didn't bother with words to give Penelope her answer. Instead, he showed her with deep kisses, gentle touches and arousing movements that took her to a world where only the two of them existed.

He caught her hands, laced his fingers with hers and pressed them into the pillow next to her head. His eyes were soft, gentle and loving, as he shifted his hips and finally brought the two of them intimately together. At first, his movements were slow and cautious because the last thing he wanted was for their first time to be nothing more than a memory of pain. But as he eased deeper and he felt her body accept him completely, he was overwhelmed with a sense of fulfillment and belonging, like he was finally in the place where he was supposed to be. With the woman who was the love of his life and his soul mate.

His eyes never left hers as he slowly withdrew from her and then he filled her again. He kissed her mouth, coaxed her lips apart and then mimicked the actions of his hips with his tongue. With each and every movement, he intended to create magic. He wanted to make Penelope feel loved and adored. He wanted to show her the depth of his passion for her. And he wanted to take her to the highest realm of sweet desire that a woman could ever experience.

He deepened his movements, bringing his hips against her in an angle and she gasped. Gently, he squeezed her fingers, before rotating his hips and she gasped again. "There you go, Baby Girl," he whispered into her ear. "Now, move with me."

Following his lead, she matched the rhythm that he set. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulled him closer, bonding them deeper still. They were one. Not just physically, but also mentally, emotionally and most of all spiritually.

Penelope's lips parted in wonder as the pleasure began to build deep inside of her. It came in small ripples at first. Then, it quickly grew into sweeping waves. One right after another, they rushed over her, carrying her up, up to some wonderful place she had yet to discover, but was so desperate to explore. As if Derek could sense her rising need, he increased the pace and lowered his mouth to her breasts. He kissed and suckled them, raising her sense of pleasure up yet another notch. "Oh, Derek, that feels so, so good," she moaned, pulling her hands from his grasp, so she could grab his head and hold him to her. "Don't stop."

"Do you really think I would want to? And, if I did, do you really believe I could?" He groaned harshly, increasing the depth and pace of his thrust. "Penelope, you feel too good. I can't hold back any longer."

"I don't want you to."

Sounds of their mingled moans filled the room, as the movements of their bodies became frenzied. They writhed and arched into each other, both becoming desperate to reach that deliciously sweet goal.

"Oh God!" Penelope gasped, throwing her head back against the pillow as the first wave of pleasure hit her. She clutched onto Derek's shoulders, hanging on for dear life as she experienced an earth-shattering orgasm that had her screaming Derek's name at the top of her lungs, over and over again.

It was harder than anything in the world for Derek not to let go right then and there, but somehow he found the strength to hold back just long enough to watch the look on his Penelope's face when she experienced pure bliss. It was without a doubt one of the most beautiful moments in his life and, briefly, he considered creating another amazing memory, but since Penelope's body was still moving enticingly beneath his and he had yet to give himself to the tension that had been building inside of him for over five years, he knew that wasn't going to be an option.

His thrusts were no longer slow or controlled, as he balled his hands into fists in Penelope's hair and drove for fulfillment. It was like being on fire, the blazing heat scorching his body until he was quickly consumed by the flames of ecstasy.

Penelope wrapped her arms comfortingly around Derek's shuddering body, when he finally collapsed against her. She held him close, smoothed her hands over his back and whispered tender, loving words to him until his breathing finally slowed. When it did, he placed his hands against her cheeks, smiled down at her with passion-filled eyes and placed the most gentlest of kisses against her lips. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you very much for giving me the most beautiful night of my life."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The following morning, when Penelope looked at herself in Derek's bathroom mirror, she saw an unfamiliar person staring back at her. The reflection she saw was of a woman with flushed cheeks, swollen lips and sleepy, satisfied eyes. It was the look of a woman who had just spent an entire night being thoroughly made love to by an experienced and very capable man. The thought made Penelope burst into a giggle because, unbelievably, that was actually the truth and she had the love bites and tender aches in all the right places to prove it.

Her eyes drifted down to her right thigh. It had a bruise on it where Derek had accidentally gripped her too tightly the third time they had made love. Or was it the fourth?

She had never spent an entire night making love to someone. Nor could she remember a time when she wanted to. Until now, with Derek. With him, the time they spent together was like magic and, no matter how many times she had him, it never seemed to be enough.

Incredibly, it seemed like Derek felt the same way because he couldn't keep his hands off of her. When they weren't making love, he always had some kind of possessive hold on her. In fact, he had insisted on keeping her so close, he had even made it difficult for her to get out of bed with his arm wrapped so tightly around her waist. Finally, after a little tickling and some careful maneuvering, she had managed to slip away and get a quick shower.

Now, here she was standing in the middle of Derek's bathroom, completely clean and dry, but without any clothes to wear. Biting her lip, she scanned the room until her eyes caught sight of one of Derek's dress shirts he had left hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind if she borrowed it, at least long enough for her to run her things through the wash before she put them back on. It was still early, barely time for the sun to rise, so if she hurried, she might be able to have her clean clothes ready and wearable by the time he got up and was ready for breakfast.

Plucking the shirt off the hook, she slid into it and then proceeded to button it. The sleeves were much too long, so that made it harder for her to maneuver the buttons through the holes, but she finally got them all secured. When she was done, she saw that the shirt was also too long, as it came down to touch her knees. But the inconvenience caused by her ill-fitting clothing was quickly forgotten when she leaned her head down and Derek's scent filled her nose. She sighed deeply. The man not only looked as sexy as hell, but he smelled sexy as hell too. It was no wonder she felt like she was under some kind of spell whenever she was around Derek, she thought, quietly opening the bathroom door and stepping into the bedroom. Every single thing about the man was unjustly irresistible.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Penelope's footsteps came to an abrupt stop. She turned to look at Derek and found that he was frowning, more like darkly scowling and that sent a horrible feeling to the pit of her stomach.

Was he already regretting last night? Had he woken up thinking he had made the biggest mistake of his life? Of course he did, stupid, a quiet voice in her head scolded. There's absolutely no way in hell that Derek Morgan would want you—at least not for keeps anyway. This was never going to last. It was a one-night stand. A once in a lifetime opportunity. She should have realized that right from the start, instead of letting herself get caught up in some silly fairy tale where the two of them fell in love and lived happily ever after.

"Garcia?"

Her attention snapped back to Derek, who was now glaring in her direction. She folded her arms across her breasts, as if they would somehow shield her from the detrimental blow he was about to deal to her heart. "Morgan," she replied, happy that she had at least managed to keep her voice sounding relatively calm. But her confidence slipped another notch when she saw Derek's jaw tighten.

"Are you getting ready to leave?"

She had started to take a step forward, but she nearly lost her footing in the process. This was worse than she thought. Already he wanted her to go. He didn't want to cuddle in bed, have breakfast together or anything. Apparently, he just wanted her out of his house as soon as possible.

"I just took a shower," she whispered.

"And you're wearing my shirt."

"I didn't have anything else to wear." Walking over to his side of the bed, she bent down to start grabbing her clothes up off the floor. "But don't worry, Morgan. I'll get into my own clothes in a minute and you can have your precious shirt back."

He looked up at her, his eyes burning with anger. "You regret what happened last night, don't you?"

Her movements stilled. "W-what?"

"Last night. You wish it had never happened. You're sorry that we slept together."

She was so shocked by the accusation that her knees collapsed right out from under her and she wilted right down onto the bed. "You think I regret sleeping with you?" she asked, completely stunned.

He looked at her impatiently. "Well, yeah. What else am I supposed to think? I woke up this morning to find you sneaking out of bed. Then, because you thought I was still asleep, you darted into the shower. And now I suppose you're pissed off because I ruined your plans and didn't let you just tip-toe out of here without saying good-bye. What the hell are you laughing at?" he yelled, when she burst out laughing.

She raised a hand to her mouth to try and stifle her giggles, but it wasn't working. She continued to laugh hysterically until she saw the hurt look on Derek's face, which immediately sobered her. "I'm sorry, Derek," she said, taking a deep breath. She looked at him solemnly. "You're right. I did sneak out of bed this morning. I did dart into the shower. And I was hoping that you would still be asleep so I could sneak out of here."

He slammed his fist down against the bed in anger. "Damn it! Why?"

"Because I didn't want you to wake up and see me looking like this, with no make-up, puffy red eyes because I didn't get much sleep and bed head," she mumbled, indicating her hair which had lost its curl and was now falling loosely around her face. "I didn't want for you to open your eyes, look at me and think, 'What the hell was I thinking last night when I slept with _her_?'"

Now it was his turn to look shocked. "Why would you think I'd think that?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, because I don't look like the type of woman I know you're used to waking up with."

"You're right," he said, leaning forward so he could look directly into her eyes. "You're not the type of woman I'm used to waking up with because I'm used to waking up alone."

She frowned. "You mean you don't let them spend the night?"

"I mean," he said, taking her hand and drawing her to him. "I don't usually sleep with them. As in, I don't usually have sex."

"But I thought—"

"I know what you thought. You thought what I've wanted everyone to believe about me—that I'm a player. But I'm not." He gently placed his fingers over Penelope's mouth when she started to argue. "Now, I'm certainly not saying that I haven't had my share of women, especially back in the day. But in recent years, Penelope, I just haven't found any joy in being with a bunch of different women. I'm tired of superficial relationships and I'm not interested in dating someone who I'm not going to see more than a couple of times. That's why I've gotten to the point where all I do is focus on my job. It's the only thing in my life that brings me any kind of fulfillment and, really, that's only because of you. You make it so I want to go to work every day. You help me find the good, even when it seems like all we're surrounded by every day is the bad. You keep me going, Penelope. Without you, I don't know what I'd do."

"I…uh…" She shook her head in amazement.

"Have I actually rendered the great Penelope Garcia speechless?"

She wanted to say something, but she was too choked up with emotion to be able to speak. So instead she just nodded.

"That's okay," he said, reaching up to cup her face with his hands. "You don't have to say anything. Right now, I just want you to feel."

His mouth descended upon hers in a soft, but passionate kiss. He traced his tongue along her upper lip, then the bottom, before he quickly dipped his tongue inside her mouth eliciting a deep moan from her throat. He felt her lean forward to deepen the kiss, but he immediately withdrew his lips and instead proceeded to scatter kisses across her cheeks, over her eyes and onto the tip of her nose.

Every one of his touches was as gentle as the fluttering of a butterfly wing, but somehow he made each simple gesture overflow with an almost overwhelming sensuality. It made Penelope breathless, feeling his lips travel along the column of her throat and lingering on the place where her pulse was beating in a wild rhythm. She closed her eyes, threw her head back and allowed him better access to that special erogenous place only he seemed attuned enough to find.

"Yes, Baby Girl," he whispered, gently scraping his teeth against her nape. "I know what you like. I know the things you'll enjoy that even you don't know about yet. And you know why? Because I was made for you. I was made to kindle your deepest desires and help you discover the beautiful, sexy goddess that you were created to be."

He eased her onto her back, as his fingers deftly released the buttons of his shirt until it fell away from her body. She didn't have on any undergarments and his eyes darkened with longing at the breathtaking picture she made lying before him. He reached up to cup her breasts in his palms. They were hot, heavy and very responsive to the gentle caresses of his fingers over her sensitive skin. Their tips, their blossoming rosy buds, had him groaning deep in his throat. He couldn't help but lean forward, clasping his lips to her with no less enthusiasm than a starving child.

She held him to her, letting him draw pleasure from her, as she took it from him. Her eyes were closed, her mind was cloudy as she lost herself in a myriad of delicious feelings.

He used his knee to push her legs apart. His hands smoothed down her body. He could hear her breath getting raspier by the second, as his fingers went lower and lower, until they were circling around her heated core. With feather-soft touches, he caressed her, then stroked her until finally he delved his fingers deep inside of her silky softness.

Immediately, she felt her body clench sharply around him, before she tumbled right over the edge. Her eyes were wide with shock, as her body rode out the waves of passion. She had never had an orgasm so quickly. Nor had she had one that was so intense with just someone's fingers. But, like Derek had said, no one seemed to know her like he did, not even herself. And, damn, did he appear to be right.

She was finally floating towards a serene and sated shoreline, when more thrilling sensations began to lap over her body. Her surprised eyes flew up to Derek's face, as she watched him continuing to stroke her. Part of her wanted to push him away because she was afraid she couldn't survive another onslaught of pleasure so fast, so soon. But the other part, the newly discovered lustful side of her, desperately wanted for him to take her to the heights and not let her go until she went limp with exhaustion.

And, apparently, that was exactly Derek's plan because he didn't stop. He skillfully used his fingers to bring her to orgasm again. Then, without giving her any time to rest, he artfully drew another explosive orgasm from her with his mouth. And, at last, when she truly believed that he couldn't possibly make her come anymore, he moved over her and buried himself deep inside of her, further than she even imagined a man could go.

They both gasped at the heated contact. Their eyes flared with burning need. They were experiencing a new form of intimacy and it was far deeper than just a physical desire. It was an intertwining of souls.

This time when they climaxed, they both came together. Their moans mingled, their breaths stopped. And it was later argued that Penelope actually blacked-out.


End file.
